Cessna 172N accident near Moontown, Alabama, September 19, 1999
On September 19, 1999 at about 8:23 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734TC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Moontown, Alabama (Moontown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on a runway with a quartering tailwind, his failure to obtain the proper touchdown point on the runway, and his delay in aborting the takeoff phase of a touch and go landing, resulting in the aircraft overrunning the runway, colliding with a ditch, and nosing over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1999 · about 8:23 pm local time
- Place
- Moontown, Alabama · Moontown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734TC · no longer on the register · serial 17269092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on runway 27, during a touch and go landing, the pilot stated there was not enough runway remaining to takeoff again. He aborted the takeoff, overran the runway, collided with a ditch, and nosed over. The wind at the Huntsville Airport, located about 16 miles southwest of the accident site, 27 minutes before the accident, were from 150 degrees at 9 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 207 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,111 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 26, 1999; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rocket Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: M82 Meridianville AL at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 3M5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,180 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from HSV, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.